Hopper-door-locking device



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i.: .fi wie" inria/ri Application iled January 12, 1.922.

10 @ZZ LU from 'may C012 cer/1t Be it known that L lll/Trimmer UnnrrnAN, a citizen ot the United States of America, residing` at 'lloledo7 in the county orn Lucas and State or hiO, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in lrlopper- Door-Locking Devices, oit which the l'ollowing; is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in hopper door locking devices and has for an object to provide loclring means that will rst support the doors in a temporary nearly closed position and from which position the doors may then be pried or forced to their closed position, at which point they may be easily locked.

Still another object or the invention is to provide a locking device for hopper car doors where two doors are positioned with their inner :tree ends adjacent when closed, and to provide a locking' device wherein each of the doors carries a member that will be used as a fulcrum point :tor a bar or lever so that when the doors are in a temporary supported position the ulcruin point on one door will be used so that the other door may be lifted to its closed position, alter which the closed door provides the :tulcrum point so that the remaining open door may be pried or forced shut.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a locking device i'or hopper doors where the inner tree ends o the doors are adjacent7 and across each oi? the doors is preferably positioned an angle iron which entends outwardly beyond the sides of the door. while the ends of the angle irons are provided with small holes or openings therein. To be located above the outstanding ends of each ot the angle irons are positioned hoolrs which are adapted to engage the 'tree ends ot' the anale irons and support the doors first in a partly closed position after which a bar will be thrust through the openingsl mentioned in the ends oi the angle irons so that first one door by an upward movement members, oit the locking` means in a locked Serial No. 528,687.

position, thereby preventingany accidental opening' o' the doors.

Still other objects ot the invention are to provide locking` means that are relatively cheap to manufacture, quickly and readily appliefzl to the hopper doors, compact in nature and relatively light in weight.

lllith these and other objects in view7 the invention consists in certain new and novel constructions and combination of parts as will be hereinafter more 'fully described and pointed out in the claims.

h-eiterring` now to the drawings showing; a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a hopper car showing;` my improved locking` mechanism as applied to the hopper doors.

2 is a view in side elevation showing a fragmentary portion oi a side of a car and the locking devices supportingv the doors of the hopper in their closed and. locked position.

llig. 3 is a. similar view but showing` one olf i doors in a temporary supported position, other door being in its closed and locked position. and

Fig. fr is fragmentary detailed section talren line l--li ot Fig. 3.

ln the several views, l have only illustrated the locking devices as applied to the hoppers. on one side ot the car, but it is to be understood that the arrangement on the other side ot the hoppers and doors is identical, so that an illustration and description of the locking' device as applied to one side of the doors and hopper equally well applies to the other side.

Referring now more specilically tov the drawings, and the invention illustrated. there is shown diagrammatically a standard .L L

' ype ci@ hopper car l, portion ot a side sill 2, a fragmentary top of the hopper side 3, and plate 4 which is bolted at its top to the side sill 2, which forms the major outer side o't the hopper. Supporting straps 5 are Tularly dispos d with regard to the side 2. which n'iay be riveted at their upper err-.ds at 6 through the plate l and the side sill 2. and which are also bolted as at 7 to the plate el. and the sides 3, and may be riveted or bolted to the sloping bottoni walls 8 oit ldie hopper chute and are designed to eX- tend completely under the hopper and be similarly secured on.' the other side ot the car and hopper.

Preferably hin ged to these bottom sloping walls 8 of the hopper and to the supportingstraps 5, are the two doors 9 and lO, which, as will be noticed, have their inner 'free edges adjacent, when in their closed position.

The doors may be reinforced by forming the hinges l1 with long legs vhich may eX- tend nearly to the iree edges of the door, and which may be secured to the doors by the bolts 12.

Near the outer or free edges ol the doors are the angle irons 18 and 14, each oit which extend completely across its door and ont beyond its free edges or sides to thereby provide ledges or brackets that are to be engaged by pivotal hooks shortly to be described.

These angle irons are each bolted or riveted to the under side of the doors, the bolts passing through the legs o'l" the hinges and each is disposed in the opposite direction7 or in other words with the-upper legs each 'extending towards the hinged connection. ot' its door. In the vertical legs of these angle irons and in the portion which extends beyond the free sides of the doors are 'the openings 15 and 1 6, which forni tulcrum points as will shortly be described.

Referring now to the supporting ineinbers, there are shown as securely riveted to the plate Ll the housings 'li' and 1S in which are pivotally mounted respectively the two hooks 19 and 2U, while within the housing-s and to the rear oit each hook are pivotally mounted the dogs 21 and 22 which are provided respectively with the hugs 23 and 2l which forni striking surfaces so that the dogs may be swung1 rearwardly when desired. i

Along the lower edge oit the plate l is shown the reinforcing member 25 to strengthen this plate at this point and to prevent the lockingdevices trom being torn 'from the plate 4.

lt will be noticed that the liousingggs li and 18 are oppositely positioned so that the hooks contained therein will also be oppositelypositioned and it will also be seen that the hooks are provided with auxiliary ledges Q6 and 27 respectively as well as the main supiwrtiinij ledig: i 28 and fl respect'veli'` so that the door il :nay tiret be supported through the upper leg; of the angle on the ledge 25 oit the hook lf2. while the doof 10 will be supliorted on the ledge 'Si' thi` hook 20 by the upper leg; oil thewangle 'l l.

lt is well known to those skilled in the art that it is relatively an easy matter to swing the hoiper doors to a partly closed. positiom butto entirely close the doors, rela tively great torce necessary as the doors oftenbeeome warped or distorted in service so ythat they have to he sprung or 'forced bei-ore they can be finally closed.

.ln the present embodiment() however, both inatteso doors may be manually lifted upwardly until they are'both supported on the temporary lodges 26 and 2l" of the two hooks 19 and 20, after which a bar or rod 30 may be placed through the holes 15 and 16 formed in the angles 1? and 14.- and an upward pressure at the outer end o'l the bar 30 will raise the door 9 to its closed position after which the dog 21 may be revolved to assume the position shown in Fig. 3 which will tightly hold this door in its final and looked position. ,y

This closing` movement is possible as the inner endoi the bar 30 will be tulcrumed in the opening` 16 of the angle 14: of the door 10, while to close the door 10 only necessitates a downward movementl off thel bar 30 at its outer end so that the angle 13 now acts as a fulcrum point and the inner end of the bar will force the door 10 upwardly to its closed position, after which the hook 20 may be forced underthe upper leg'oi the angle lei so that the ledge 29 will engage the upper leg of the angle at which timeA the door will be supported in its closed position. To lock the same, it will only be necessary to force the dog 22 against the rear edge ot the hookv thereby making' it impossible to have the hook become disengaged from the upper edge ot the angle iron. y. y

Although in lilig. 3 l have shown the bar lil-st inserted through the angle on the lett hand door, vit will be understood that the bar may be inserted lirst trom either side when the two doors are in their tr-nnporary supported position9 the angles on both olf the doors acting` as fulerums 'lier each other.

To open the doors,vthe dogs, of course, will be swung` rearwardly and the hooks `forced away from each other which will allow the doors to drop and it', for any rea` son, one of the doors should become jammed, of course7 a bar may lV e used through the fulcri'lni points to pry it open.

.lt will be see-n that the operation is e tremely simple as a lifting; movement on the bar will close one door where itinay be quickly locked and a prying; movement will close the other door without even the removal ol" the bar l'roin the openings in the two angle irons.

ln most instances :is heretofore 1nentioned. a similar arrangement will be used onboth sides oft the cai and hoppers so that the doors will be supported from their two sides. s l

From the loregoiwgl it will be seen that l have provided an extremely simple and etlioient lookingl arrangement 'for hopper car doors wherein both doors may be temporarily supported. in a partly closed position. 'from which position one may quickly be lifted into placea and the other pried into place by the use or" a bar or rod inserted. through the convenient fulorum points iai-aseo formed in the outer ei'ids ot the angles., which ai'iglcs also provide brackets or ledges to bc engaged by the supporting hooks.

Furthermore. l have provided a locking arrangement that is extremely compact in nature, relatively cheap to manufacture, and light in weight in comparison with the many hopper door locking;v devices now ingeneral use. l v

Many slight changes lmightr beina'de without in any way departing` from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by lietters Patent is:

l. In a door device for railway cars, a plurality of doors hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supporting the doors in partially closed or fully closed positions, and means in said doors adapted to receive means operable upon one door for forcing another door from partially closed to fully closed position.

2. In a door device for railway cars, a plurality of doorsy hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supporting the doors in partially closed or fully closed positions, and means in said doors adapted to receive removable means extending' trom one door to another door lfor iorcibly moving one of the doors troni one of said positions to the other position.

3. ln door device for railway cars, a plurality of doors hinged 'to the car body, means carried by the car body 'for supporting' the doors in partially closed or fully closed positions. and means in said doors adapted to receive means extending from one door to another door for 'forcibly moving` either of the said two doors from one of the said positions to the other position.

1l. In a door device for railway cars, a plurality of doors hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supporting the doors `in partially closed or fully closed positions, and means in said doors adapted to receive means reacting upon one door ior forcing the other door from one of said positions to the other position.

ln a door device for railway cars` a plurality of doors hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supporting the doors in partially closed or `Fully closed positions, a itulcruni aitiied to each of the doors, the saine being adapted to receive a lever operable upon the fulcrum of one door :for forcingf another door from one of said positions to the other position.

6. ln a door device :tor railway cars, a pair of doors hinged to the cai' body. means carried by the car body ttor supporting; the doors in partially closed or fully closed positions, a pierced bracket a- Xed to each of the doors, the orifices thereof being substantially in alignment when the doors are in either of the said position:-;, said criticos bei gf adapted to accommodate a lever iusortabic 'through the said oritices and operable upon one oil' said'lur` ets toi.' 'ifi Finir the opposite doors oni one olt said positions to the other position.

i". `ln a door device ,tor railway cars, a pair olf doors hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supportii'igthe doors in partially closed or fully closed positions, a i'ulcrum formed upon each oit the' doors, said Yiulcrums being formed and arranged in such manner as to accommodate a lever operable in one direction and upon the tulcrum on one oi the doors 'for forcing' the opposite door from one of said positions to the other position, and being,` also opeirable in the opposite direction and upon 'the fulcrum on the other door for forcingthe first mentioned door from one of its said positions to the other.

8. ln a door device for railway cars, pair of doors hinged to the car body, means carried by the car body for supporting the doors in partially closed or fully closed positions, a iulcrum 'formed upon each of the doors, said fulcrums being formed and arranged in such manner as tc accommodate a lever extending` between the ulcrums of both doors, and operable thereupon in such manner as to produce simultaneous reactions in opposite directions upon the two tulcrunis.

9. ln combination with a hopper car, a pair ot hinged doors having their Ytree ends adjacent when in 'their closed position, an angle iron secured to the bottom of each door and extending.' beyond the free sides ot the door, said angle irons oppositely dis- Josed with respect to each other, a pair of hooks pirotally mounted on the side of the hopper and positioned above the outstanding` ends of said angle irons, cach ot said .ioolrs provided with an auxiliary and main supporting ledge,y the doors adapted to be supported first on the auxiliary ledges ot said hooks through the medium of said angle irons.3 tulcrum points formed in the ends of said angle irons viter the reception oic a bar so that anupward movement of the bar will raise one door so that its an gle iron will be supported by the main. supportling ledge oli its hook. after which a downward movement ol' the lever will close the other or said doors that its angle iron 'a @ged by the main supportinrv will be ledge of .s hool; and means for loclri the hoolrs in engagement with angle irons.

ln combination with a hopper car, a pair ol hij ied doors havingA their free ends adjacent when in their closed position. an a :le iron secured to the bottom of each of said doors and estendingg,` beyond the sides of the doors and oppositely faced with re- CIK lation to each other, the ends oi the said angle irons being provided with small openings therein and substantially registering so that a har may be passed through both of said openings at one time, hooks pivotvally mounted above said angle irons and also oppositely faced to engage the ends of said angle irons, main and auxiliary ledges tormed on each of said hooks for rst supporting the doors in a temporary position, the said openings forming fulcrum points so that when a bar is passed within the said opening an upward movement of the bar y ture. y

will force one door to a closed position, the

'its angle iron will be engaged by ltheniain supporting ledge oli' its hook, and means for locking both of the hooks in yengagement with said angle irons,

In testimony whereof yI afix` Iny` signa--i WILLIAM F. Ciani/insu. 

